


Pieces

by notgood23



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, M/M, ModernAU!, PiecesAU!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:22:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25922785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notgood23/pseuds/notgood23
Summary: Mainly inspired by the influx of Echo content due to angst week. Drabble!UPDATE 9/03: Now an ongoing story!Please let me know what you think!/////////////////////////////////"There's someone hiding - right there."OrSometimes, the people you never knew existed have a habit of turning up.
Relationships: Cole/Zane (Ninjago)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

Zane tapped his fingers on his thigh before finally leaning back and relaxing into his seat. There was soft rock playing in the car as they drove through the city, the sun just beginning to set, the sky getting ready to darken.

Cole's voice came through the gentle atmosphere that had been built. "Ah, looks like she's out already."

The blonde looked over his shoulder, peering into the backseat. And sure enough their now sleeping six-year old was leaning to one side in her booster seat, eyes closed. The glittery flower and vine "tattoo" shining around the side of her left eye.

They were just coming home from the school's spring pageant, that had admittedly ran a little long. But it was all worth it to have those memories of their daughter in a pretty lavender dress singing 'Everything Grows'.

After all, those were moments that could never be replaced.

Smiling, he turned around, facing forward again. "It's going to be quite the challenge cleaning all the glitter off of her face," he said, chuckling.

Cole gave a fake heavy sigh, taking a peek at her in the rearview mirror. "You're telling me!" He lifted a hand off the steering wheel, running it through his hair. "I thought it would have been harder just to make it stay on - it was coming off _everywhere_ in the beginning. So, uh, don't mind the mess in the bathroom."

Zane hummed, closing his eyes. "You're still cleaning it up."

His husband scoffed. "Of course, punish the artist. It took real work making it look so pretty!"

"I know. It looks great." he said, turning and giving Cole a smile.

The silence returned again, and Zane watched as the buildings disappeared, and the houses began to appear outside the passenger window.

He felt a hand wrap around his hand resting on his thigh. Zane gave a squeeze back before looking up at Cole again. He watched as Cole kept his eyes forward on the road, opening his mouth as to say something, before closing it again.

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking...maybe we should adopt again?"

"Hm? What brought this up?"

"I just think it'd be good for her, you know? I didn't get to grow up with siblings and I wish sometimes that I did...besides, she's getting older," Cole suddenly jerked their clasped hands closer to his chest, startling Zane before continuing, "and I don't think my heart will be able to handle her going into first grade next year!"

Zane pulled his hand back gently, Cole replacing his hand on the wheel as they rolled into their driveway. "Maybe," the blonde said, a smile appearing on his lips.

Cole turned off the car, and Zane got off, opening the rear car door.

He gently unbuckled his daughter, careful not to wake her, before lifting her into his arms, her head on his shoulder.

Zane walked around the back of the car, about to make his way to the front door. "I just remembered that Kai, Nya, and Jay surely must have fulfilled the roles of sib- what's wrong?"

Cole held his arm out in front of him, keeping him from walking any further. " _Wait._ "

Instinctively, he slightly tightened the hold on his child. But, Zane couldn't see anything, or hear anything suspicious. The silence enveloped them for a few seconds, the blonde growing anxious as to why they were not moving - why they weren't going inside the house.

Cole spoke very carefully, his words coming out in an urgent whisper.

"There's someone, right _there_ , on the porch."

"Where?" he asked, trying to scan through the darkness.

"They're lying there, on the ground. Trying to _hide_." Cole's tone strengthened at the end, before he started to move towards the door.

"Cole! Come back!"

But Zane's frantic whispers were ignored, as Cole marched over to the porch, all tense, his fists clenched at the sides.

Zane held his breath as Cole stepped slowly onto the porch. Making careful movements, he peered down at the floor, almost crouching before turning back to face him.

"It's a kid...and they're... asleep? I think?" He said, calling out into the darkness.

Zane felt his heart restart, beating to ward off the cold feeling that had started to settle in his chest. He moved closer to the porch, keeping the hold on his daughter. He stood closer to Cole, finally catching a glimpse.

Sprawled out on the porch, using a backpack as a makeshift pillow, was this teenaged boy clothed in ripped jeans, a sweatshirt that appeared a size too big, and some worn converse high tops with brightly colored shoelaces. With one arm over his stomach, the other arm over his eyes, coupled with the sight of his calm expression - would have given anyone the impression that this boy was back at home, sleeping in his own bed.

"What do we do?" the blonde whispered in the dark.

Cole thought a moment before answering back. "I don't know..he doesn't seem to be danger-"

They were both surprised by the kid's sudden jerk on the ground.

The noirette pushed Zane back behind him as the kid sat up, rubbing his eyes. He blinked a couple times before looking around, before his eyes traveled back up to Zane and Cole standing above him.

Nobody spoke.

"Um...excuse me, are you alright?" Cole asked, still wary of the stranger.

The teen's voice broke through the silence, slightly higher than Zane expected, and much more embarrassed. "Oh...Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep here." He placed an arm on the floor of the porch, trying to heave himself up onto his feet before Cole offered him a hand.

Now that he was standing Zane realized he was much taller than how he looked on the ground. About as tall as him, almost as tall as Cole. His shy brown eyes looked down for a moment before turning back up.

"Do you need help?" Cole asked.

"Yes! Actually I came because-" the teen rummaged through his pants pocket for a second before pulling out a folded square of paper. He opened it before speaking again. "They gave me this address for someone I was looking for?..." he said, his voice trailing off.

Zane, who had remained almost completely quiet during this whole...encounter...decided to speak up.

"I'm afraid you might have the wrong address, I've lived here all my life." He readjusted his grip on his daughter, trying not to jostle her too much.

"Oh..." The teen glanced at the number plate by the front door, "Isn't this 4612 South Birchwood?"

"...Yes." The blonde replied warily.

The stranger across from him piped up excitedly. "Maybe you can help me then!" Catching himself in his burst of energy, he paused a second before toning himself down a notch. "I'm actually looking for -" he glanced back at the paper again, "Charles Julien."

"Actually-"

Zane was about to tell him, that, unfortunately, his father had passed away. But the next words were lost as soon as the teen spoke once again.

"I'm looking for him...because...well...

 _I'm his son_."

The cold slowly seeping back into his chest, Zane felt as if time had frozen - leaving him at a standstill.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Zane is in disbelief, Cole is trying to be polite, and their daughter is curious about the stranger.

_"I'm his son."_

Nobody spoke.

Until Cole did.

"You know what? How about we all head inside and settle this? Maybe help you out, get you where you need to be." Cole clapped a hand on the teen's shoulder. "Sound good?"

"Really? That'd be great! Thank you!" The teen smiled brightly at the invitation to come inside, like if he hadn't just dropped a major bombshell.

Zane felt like he had to look away.

Cole started to unlock the front door, probably saying something else to this traveler, but he couldn't make out the words. The jingling of the keys slowly turned into a ringing in Zane's ears.

He felt like he couldn't move. His body had become cold, his head heavy, like if it was full of cotton. Everything was slow.

Nevertheless, his mind was racing. Searching, for something, anything.

Anything that could explain _this_.

His father...his father would never - _would have_ never kept anything from him. It was always just the two of them.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

He would never.

Right?

_Zane._

_Zane._

"Zane-"

Broken out of his trance, the blonde snapped his head back up as he took a step backward. The sudden movement caused his daughter to stir in his arms a bit before she turned her head onto his shoulder and became still once again.

He blinked slowly, seeing Cole's hand reached out to him.

"Let's go inside."

Zane didn't budge. He looked past his husband's gaze, focused on the kid who was already in the doorway, looking around the entryway to the house.

Cole spoke again, in a gentle tone, trying to get through to him.

Zane could tell.

"Let's get her inside, too. We can figure all this out, oka-"

He didn't let him finish.

"Excuse me." Zane said, moving past the both of them and into the house. He flicked on the light switch to their living room.

Zane gently set his daughter on the sofa and pulled out a blanket from inside the ottoman adjacent to the coffee table. Draping it over her, he could just make out Cole speaking to the person in the other room.

" _Uh, sorry, it's just been a long day, for the both of us. Have a seat at the table over there, and make yourself at home."_

The blonde sat down beside his sleeping child, and crossed his arms. He could hear Cole's footsteps coming closer.

He came to stand in front of Zane.

Cole opened his mouth to say something, but Zane beat him to it.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing? _You're_ the one that stormed off."

Zane stood up, stepping closer towards Cole. "You're also the one who decided to invite that - _stranger_ \- into our _house_!" He whispered tensely.

Cole decided to ignore the accusatory tone in his husband's voice. He sighed. "Zane. You saw him, he's just some lost kid. And if he really is who he says he is, then he may very well be your-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Zane interjected coldly, his ice blue eyes glaring at Cole. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, the awful feeling coming back.

He squeezed his eyes shut. "Something's not right here. He could be lying - or- or - just misinformed - that's all. That's - that's the only _logical_ conclusion here."

He opened his eyes, lowering his hand away to see Cole give him a concerned look, before holding his arms out in invitation.

"Come here."

" _No_ , Cole." He replaced the hand over his forehead, shielding his eyes. Trying to focus, just to keep the awful chill at bay. He closed his eyes again, taking a breath, attempting to steady himself.

He reopened them when Cole pulled him in anyways.

Zane let his warmth envelop him.

"What was that out there?" Cole asked, softly, carefully.

Zane snuggled into his shoulder, trying to pick out the right words. The right _way_ to describe what he was feeling. "I-"

" _Oh hello there, what's your name?"_

" _Rebecca_."

Zane abruptly pulled away, turning around, only to confirm that his daughter was no longer fast asleep on the sofa.

He quickly made his way to the dining room, Cole following close behind.

When he entered the dining room, he could see Rebecca in the doorway to the kitchen, with the teenager still sitting at the far end of the table. He sat straight back up, having scooted a bit forward to speak with his daughter.

"Daddy," she said, pointing at the stranger, "who is he?"

"Don't point honey." Cole answered instead.

"My name is Echo." He smiled, leaning forward again, extending a hand out in greeting.

Rebecca shyly took his hand.

"I like your glitter flower, it's very pretty."

Rebecca pulled her hand back, smiling at him.

In the light of the dining room, Zane was finally able to have a good look at...Echo? He was a stark contrast compared to Zane. Whereas Zane's hair was so blonde it appeared white, Echo's hair was full of chocolate curls. He had tawny brown skin, and warm honey colored eyes, while Zane was pale with icy blue eyes.

He was torn from his analysis by a pull on his pant leg.

"Papa, I want juice."

Zane saw an opportunity to escape this situation. He could just put his daughter to bed, let Cole take care of the rest with the stranger.

Until Cole volunteered first.

"How about some milk instead to help get ready for bed?"

Zane shot a pointed look at his husband, who in turn gave a sheepish grin and a small shrug in return. Cole walked over to the kitchen doorway where his daughter was standing. He stopped suddenly, turning around. "Echo, can I get you something? Water? Milk? Soda?"

"Soda!" Rebecca chirped.

"Not for you, silly." Cole said, pinching her cheek playfully.

Echo let out a small laugh. "No thanks, I have some water here," he said, tapping his backpack with his foot.

"Alright," he said, before turning to his daughter again. "Well, miss, I'm going to get _you_ some milk, and then straight to bed," Cole said, smiling at his daughter. "Say goodnight, honey, then wait for me in your room." he said, before heading into the kitchen.

Rebecca ran over to Zane, who in turn, crouched down to give her a hug.

"G'night Papa."

"Sweet Dreams," Zane replied, pulling back, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Rebecca smiled, before pulling away. She glanced at Echo, waving at him. Echo returned it with a smile, before she left the room.

Now they were alone. _Together_.

Neither of them said anything, creating an awkward silence.

Zane chose to clasp his hands together, feigning a sudden interest in them.

"Your daughter is beautiful."

"Yes, yes she is." He replied quietly.

The silence returned.

Zane looked up, only to pose a question. "How long were you out there?"

"Uh, maybe an hour? Hour and a half?" Echo said, his voice trailing off as he fiddled with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

Zane walked over to the table, pulling out the chair, to sit across from him.

"May I ask how you got here?"

Echo continued to pick at his sleeve, pulling it over his left hand. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

"We have time." Zane said, standing from his seat. "Should I make tea or coffee?"


End file.
